


Trust

by killerweasel



Series: A Matter of Trust [1]
Category: Good Omens (TV Series)
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-05-11
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:28:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24135100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/killerweasel/pseuds/killerweasel
Summary: Demonic customs are a big deal.
Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens), Beelzebub/Gabriel (Good Omens)
Series: A Matter of Trust [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1741594
Comments: 3
Kudos: 65





	Trust

Title: Trust  
Fandom: Good Omens (TV Series)  
Characters: Aziraphale, Crowley, Gabriel  
Pairings: Aziraphale/Crowley, Beelzebub/Gabriel  
Word Count: 1,478  
Rating: PG  
A/N: After Episode 6  
Summary: Demonic customs are a big deal.

They had just sat down to watch a mystery film Crowley thought Aziraphale might enjoy when there was a surge of demonic energy from their bedroom. Crowley reached out with his aura, but couldn't detect any demons. He frowned as he got to his feet. "Stay behind me, angel. It could just be a message from Hell, but that would have shown up in my hand. I'm not sure what to expect."

The door to the bedroom was closed. Crowley couldn't remember if it had been open previously or not. His stomach gave a nervous flutter as he grabbed the doorknob.

To say he was surprised at what he found in front of their bed was possibly the understatement of the year. Gabriel was kneeling down on the plush carpet. There was a gag in his mouth and his hands and feet were tied behind him with black rope. Little flashes of Unholy energy danced along the ropes. The Archangel was mostly naked. The only thing he was wearing was a pair of lavender silk boxers covered in flies.

"What in Heaven's name is this?" Aziraphale peered around Crowley in shock. "Why is Gabriel in our cottage? And why is he tied up?" His eyes widened. "Where are his clothes?"

"Angel. Aziraphale." Crowley kept his voice soft, hoping he could keep Aziraphale from panicking. "I know I've never mentioned the Ritual of Moloch. There was no reason for it to come up."

"Of course it hasn't come up!"

"It's a demonic custom. See, demons don't trust other demons. It's in our nature. Too many of us have rose to power by literally stabbing others in the back. So, when you actually do find one you can trust, you do certain things to show it. There are exchanges of items with various values, sometimes Hellhound pups are given, and then there's..." He trailed off as a blush rose up his neck and settled in his cheeks. "This right here, this is the largest gift you can give. It says 'I trust you with my partner or my mate' and 'take care of them for me'."

Crowley looked over at Gabriel, who was watching them both nervously. Beads of sweat had broken out on the Archangel's brow and he was starting to shake. "Contracts can be broken, words can be twisted. So for Beelzebub to do something on this scale, it means Hell will leave us alone after this."

Clearing his throat, Crowley straightened up. "Of course, the gesture isn't always taken in a good way. Some demons would prefer lash out than show kindness." He walked across the room and gently placed his hand between Gabriel's shoulders where his wings would be. The tiny sound Gabriel made tore at Crowley's insides. "Relax, Gabriel. You're safe here. We won't harm you."

The Unholy energy in the bindings flickered at Crowley's palm. "I've got to do a speech thing to finish the ritual and make it official." He cleared his throat. "I, Crowley, the Serpent of Eden, hereby accept this gift of the Archangel Gabriel from Prince Beelzebub, Lord of the Flies, for the length of time she has marked into his skin." A wave of energy swept through the room, nearly knocking Crowley off of his feet. It was old magic, almost as old as demons themselves. When he could see again, he saw the Unholy energy had vanished, leaving normal ropes wrapped around Gabriel.

Aziraphale started to say something, paused, and then clapped a hand over his mouth. His voice was a bit watery as he spoke. "My dear boy, would you be so kind as to remove those ropes? They must be incredibly uncomfortable. I'll be right back, I need to... I need a moment."

"Take whatever you need, angel. I've got this." He waited until the door closed before sitting on the floor next to Gabriel. "Says quite a bit that you let Beelzebub do this. The only way this works is if both the demon and their mate are doing it of their own free will." He touched a red and black design on Gabriel's thigh. "I recognize that. I don't think Aziraphale needs to know you're powerless right now. It would upset him more than he already is. You chose to have Beelzebub close you off from your Grace. You've managed to surprise me, Gabriel."

He carefully undid the ropes wrapped around Gabriel's frame, taking the time to help rub the circulation back into the limbs. Gabriel was still trembling. Crowley wasn't sure if it was fear or anticipation, so he kept his touches as light as possible. "I meant what I said. No harm will come to you." When he got to the gag, Crowley paused. "When I take this out, I need you to answer a question."

The gag fell to the floor. Crowley watched Gabriel move his jaw around. A snap of Crowley's fingers brought a bottle of water from the refrigerator to his hand. He unscrewed the lid, helped Gabriel sit up, and then brought the bottle of the Archangel's lips. Gabriel took a few sips before leaning against the bed.

"Did you expect me to hurt you? To twist your wings or tear strips from your flesh?" Crowley sighed. "Never have taken pleasure in that sort of thing."

"I didn't know if you'd want revenge for what I did to Aziraphale." Gabriel curled his arms around his frame. "Beelzebub was fairly certain you wouldn't hurt me, but you'd surprised her a few times in the past, so there was a chance this would end badly. She said you knew exactly what this meant, knew how far you could go without it being too much. I needed to trust in her. And I do, Crowley. If I didn't, I wouldn't be here. As for the mark, if either of you felt the need to make me pay, I wanted you to be able to do it without fear of me retaliating."

"This is your way of apologizing for being a dick? When you commit to something, you don't do anything half-ass, do you." A tiny smile crossed Crowley's lips. He stood up and then helped Gabriel get to his feet. "I'm assuming Beelzebub picked those boxers out for you."

"This year's Valentine's Day present, among a few other things." Gabriel went red as he shifted from foot to foot. "Could you miracle me a track suit or something? It's colder in here than I expected."

"Sure." Crowley looked Gabriel over and then snapped his fingers. A soft set of lavender sweats appeared on the bed. "We do have a guest room if you'd like to use it later. She did mention all the other parts of the ritual, right? Wing grooming, sharing a meal, being given a memento to take back? Are you fine with doing all of it? I know how you feel about eating food."

"I've been working with Beelzebub on eating. There are a few things I've found to be pleasant. I can make you guys a list." He bit his lip. "Not going to lie, the idea of wing grooming makes me incredibly nervous. She's the only one I've allowed to touch them. When we do it, just go slow, okay?"

Gabriel put on the tracksuit. "She said you like to garden. Maybe you can show me a few things? Eventually we're going to want a place here together and it would be helpful. Whichever one of you does the cooking, I would really appreciate a few lessons on that too."

Aziraphale knocked on the bedroom door before stepping inside. "Everything okay in here? Sorry about before, I was just a bit overwhelmed." He glanced over at Gabriel and smiled at the clothing Crowley had miracled. "This whole thing is new to me too, so hopefully we can get through it together."

"Honestly, angel, it'll be just like having a guest for a bit." Crowley arched a brow at Gabriel. "Do you know how long you're going to be staying with us? I didn't see the marks she made on your skin anywhere."

Gabriel rubbed the back of his neck. "It's a week. The marks are... Well, under the only thing I was wearing when I showed up. I might need a cushion or a pillow to sit on for a couple of days, it's still pretty tender."

"We were going to watch a film before you came to stay." Aziraphale gave Gabriel one of his blindingly bright smiles. "Would you care to join us? It's a mystery and we'll have to figure out who the killer is. I'll get you something soft to sit on. I have three kinds of popcorn and some candy ready to go!"

For the first time since he'd appeared in the cottage, Gabriel felt completely calm. "I'd like that, Aziraphale."


End file.
